OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Seattle Mariners will try to give their wild-card playoff hopes another boost Friday night when they send veteran Hisashi Iwakuma to the mound to face the Oakland As and rookie Daniel Mengden in the opener of a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum.Iwakuma (14-11, 4.01 ERA) has a career-high-tying four-game losing streak, but he posted quality starts in three of those defeats. In his most recent start, a 4-2 loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field, Iwakuma gave up three runs on eight hits over seven innings, struck out five and walked one.I hate to think where wed be without him this year, Mariners manager Scott Servais said after Iwakumas last start. Hes been very valuable.Before his four-game skid, Iwakuma was 14-4 with a 3.63 ERA in his previous 19 starts, a stretch that ended with a 4-3 victory against the As in Oakland on Aug. 13. Iwakuma allowed three runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and no walks that day, raising his career record against the Athletics to 8-5. He is 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA in three starts against the As this season.The Mariners (72-68) are 5-11 over their past 16 games, but they ended their seven-game homestand with a 6-3 victory against the Texas Rangers on Thursday night. Seattle won three of four games from the Rangers, who lead the AL West by 8 1/2 games over the Houston Astros and 10 1/2 over the Mariners.The Mariners trail Baltimore by 4 1/2 games for the American Leagues second wild-card spot. They also trail the Detroit Tigers, Houston, the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals in the wild-card race.We are not done, Servais said after Thursday nights victory. I know people want to write us off, but we still have a bunch of games to play. Its going to be interesting.Seattle is 7-5 this year against the As (60-79), and two teams will meet seven more times, including a season-ending, four-game series at Safeco Field.Mengden was called up Saturday from Triple-A Nashville for his second stint with the As this season. He gave up seven runs on eight hits over 2 2/3 innings that night in an 11-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox as his record fell to 1-6 and ERA rose to 6.66.This will be Mengdens first career appearance against the Mariners, but he has watched them enough to know what type of challenge he is in for.Its going to be a tough lineup, but I know if I stick to what I can do and I get ahead, Ill be able to use my stuff and hopefully get some early outs, force weak contact and try to go from there, Mengden said.Mengden started the season at Double-A Midland, jumped to Nashville and earned his first trip to the major leagues in early June. He was sent back to Nashville on July 26 after making nine starts for the As and developing a tired pitching arm. He had his work load reduced at Triple-A, and his arm strength returned.Toward the end of my (first) stint in the big leagues, I was getting a little tired, Mengden said. I feel like my arm wasnt recovering as fast, my (velocity) was down. I wasnt able to make pitches and I got a little wild. I think I was trying to do too much with what I had in the tank.I went down there and had six, seven starts, five innings max, no matter what the pitch count was. It felt really good, not throwing as much and getting a little rest every outing going into it. I feel really good right now.Mengden is 0-5 with a 7.53 ERA at the Coliseum. His career-opening, five-game losing streak at home is tied for the longest in Oakland history with Dallas Braden (2007) and Steve Ontiveros (1985-86). Rene Robert Jersey . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Andrei Mironov Jersey . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. http://www.avalancheauthority.com/authentic-blake-comeau-avalanche-jersey/ . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Carl Soderberg Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Sven Andrighetto Jersey . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- Police and the NAACP are investigating after an Ohio high school football player says he received hateful, racist messages after kneeling during the national anthem before a game.Rodney Axson Jr. says he kneeled because teammates on his Brunswick High School team used ethnic slurs to refer to the opposing suburban Cleveland team -- which has mostly black players -- prior to a Sept. 2 game.The 16-year-old, who is black, says hees since received threating messages, including a note referencing lynching.ddddddddddddThe Cleveland NAACP on Monday said they believe police are taking the matter seriously.A lawyer for two students says theyve admitted to making some of the racially inappropriate comments and are in the process of being disciplined. 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